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This page last updated on 03/29/2018
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| (Fig. 01) |
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| (Fig. 02) |
Picture Notes: I have had only had four or five sightings of this rare Bearpaw species. The first (Figs. 01 & 02) was inside the Desert National Wildlife Range near the trailhead for Yucca Peak. I was quite surprised to spot nearly a half dozen of them growing on the upper side of Long Canyon Wash near the trailhead parking area. This was also the first time I was able to see one actually in bloom. As the only flowering pictures I have seen of this plant have had yellow poppy flowers, I was quite surprised to see that the flowers on these were white. For more on this hike and location go to … Yucca Peak Fossil Beds.
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| (Fig. 03) |
My next sighting of this beautiful plant (Fig. 03) was back on 11/15/2012, while hiking a small tributary of Lovell Wash near mile marker 16 off of the Lake Mead Northshore Road (Rt 167). This species is endemic to the Lake Mead region of southeastern Clark County, Nevada. This species has been considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act and is protected -- don't pick or otherwise disturb bearpaw poppies! For more on this hike and location go to … Lovell Wash Hike |
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Since these initial sightings I have had additional sightings of this rare plant at Gold Butte and along the Kodachrome Road (Figs. 04 & 05). For on this hike and location go to ... Kodachrome Road Drive.
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| (Fig. 04) |
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| (Fig 05) |
My most recent sightings were while hiking within the Tule Springs Fossil National Monument that follows the Las Vegas Wash thru the north end of Las Vegas (Figs. 06 & 07). For more on this hike and location go to … Tufa Beds Trails Site (TUSK) - Trip Notes for 03/28/2018.
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| (Fig. 06) |
Description: The Las Vegas Bearpoppy (Arctomecon californica) a.k.a California Bearpoppy (Arctomecon californica), is a perennial forb that only grows mostly in gypsum-rich soils near Lake Mead, which is in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone. Although it has 'californica' in it's name, this plant is not present in California. The Las Vegas Bearpoppy's habitat is found in the harshest and driest soils in the Mojave Desert, where few other plants survive. They especially favor soils with a high gypsum content. They also occur in the Gold Butte region and along the south side of Lake Mead near Bonelli Landing (towards Temple Bar). These plants can most easily be seen along Northshore Road (Lake Mead NRA).
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| (Fig. 07) |
The hairy, silvery-gray leaves grow in a 5-inch basal clump at the base of the plant. These blue-gray, wedge-shaped leaves can grow to about 6-inches long by 1-inch wide; the end of the leaf (the widest part) is notched, resembling a hairy, 3 to 5-toed “bearpaw”. They are densely covered with long, white hairs. When blooming during March to May, it produces large flower stalks, several per plant, with large, white or yellow, 6 petal poppy flowers. Blooming from March to May, these stalks can grow to about 20 inches. It also produces an oval seed pod (Fig. 08) below, with many tiny, black seeds, that matures and opens before the end of June. It can be found near Lake Mead in gypsum-rich soils at elevations between 1,200 to 3,150 feet. |
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| (Fig. 08) |
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